Archives for August 18, 2018

‘McCarron, who was competing for the starting job with rookie Josh Allen and Nathan Peterman, started the game and was hit multiple times in the first quarter. He was believed to have sustained the injury when being hit hard from behind by defensive end Myles Garrett.’

‘At this point, it’s hard to predict Coleman’s status when it comes to the 53-man roster. The Bills only gave up a 2020 seventh-round draft pick to acquire him, so it’s not a big investment. Still, it wouldn’t be a great look if the team gave something up for him, only to cut him weeks later.’

‘“I thought it was good tonight, still there’s some things I need to do better. As an offense, we need to move the ball a little bit better and that starts with us. We are going to break down this film and try to understand and fix whatever problems we may have. It’s going to start with us.”’

‘McCarron and the Buffalo first-string offense struggled against the Browns. McCarron finished 3-for-6 for 12 yards and failed to lead the Bills to a first down on four possessions. He was sacked in the first quarter but stayed in the game until early in the second quarter.’

‘Harrison Phillips. I love the way he plays. He never gives up on a down, and he’s going to be a perfect fit in the middle of the Bills defense. Kyle Williams suffered a knee injury early on, and while it appears he’ll be OK, he’s 35 and that might not be the last injury he suffers. Phillips is going to play a big role in this defense.’

‘While Allen seemed to be Allen a longshot to win the starting job when training camp began in July, the rookie is making serious progress in just his second NFL game. He’s likely earned a serious look from the coaching staff with his play against the Browns.’

‘You can put Marcus Murphy’s name in Sharpie when writing out your 53-man roster projections. Murphy continued to run the ball well in Buffalo’s offense. The back finished the second preseason game with 39 yards on four carries. In addition to running the ball well, Murphy showed what he could do on special teams by returning one punt for 39 yards.’

‘”He comes in and took command of the huddle,” Streater said. “He’s making throws calm, poised and collected. It just felt like he did a great job. He drove us down, got touchdowns and did really good. He’s got a great arm. I just have to go out there and catch it.”‘

‘”I got the ball and stuttered to set up the blocks,” Murphy said. “The hole opened wide open…I thought I was in the end zone. I saw the pylon and I thought [the defender] wasn’t going to beat me there. The ref said I stepped out, but it turned out good because we eventually scored.”‘

‘A league source told cleveland.com that Coleman’s portrayal on the show caught the attention of some in the Bills’ organization and didn’t play well. He also hasn’t made a great first impression on some in Buffalo.’

‘After the game, Buffalo coach Sean McDermott said he didn’t know the nature of McCarron’s injury. When asked at his postgame press conference if McCarron had suffered a fractured collarbone, McDermott said: “All I really know is he hurt his right shoulder, and we’ll get some more tests when we get back (to Buffalo).”‘

‘“In a perfect world, you’d love to know by Game 3,” Beane said. “That’s your dress rehearsal game. But we just can’t artificially put someone there. Because the players, they watch the film. They’re out here in practice and they go against each other. So if we artificially put somebody in there before it’s settled, then I don’t think that’s going to jive well in the locker room.”’

‘McCarron signed a two-year, $10 million contract with Buffalo in March after four seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. The deal included a $4 million signing bonus, a fully guaranteed $900,000 base salary in 2018 and $1.1 million of his 2019 base salary guaranteed for injury.’

‘And so, that means that either Allen or Nathan Peterman will likely emerge with the Bills’ starting job heading into the regular season. After the Bills’ preseason opener, the race appeared to be between Peterman and McCarron — and it was Peterman who looked the most impressive at the time. But Friday night might’ve changed the race.’

‘Allen and the first team offense had more success, driving down the field with a combination of some solid passes by the rookie and some big plays from running back Marcus Murphy. It was Allen who helped cap off the drive, with a touchdown pass to Rod Streater from 2 yards out to tie the game at 7.’

‘One of the things I’ve liked about Allen in the preseason is he doesn’t get flustered. On his second play, the play didn’t get communicated to him fast enough, but he kept his wits and called a timeout.’

‘Allen had such a nice night, people either seemed to forget about or not even pay attention to what Peterman did. He was excellent, going 8-for-10 for 113 yards and a touchdown. Through two preseason games Peterman is now 17-for-20 for 221 yards. Friday night he played most of the second half, mostly with the third-team offense, and threw the ball on time, with rhythm, usually finding the open receiver.’

‘Williams took a hard hit in the 2nd quarter where his knee was rolled on by an opposing player. He was on the field surrounded by trainers who were working on his right knee. He got up and limped noticeably off the field on his own followed by trainers. He wound up going to the locker room and was later ruled out with a knee injury.’

‘In that time in the second quarter and the early third, Allen looked poised and comfortable. Perhaps it was because he got his feet wet in one preseason game already and that he knew what to expect this time around, but he looked as though he was playing with much more confidence.’

‘”The center and snapper got hurt,” he said. “I was playing defensive end at the time but not really playing and getting on the field as much as I would have liked. I figured if I put enough practice in, it might be a good way to get myself on the field.”‘

‘McCarron left plenty to be desired, failing to gain a first down and amassed just 22 yards in his four series. While he finished out his drives, McCarron completed just three of his six attempts for just 12 yards.’

‘Williams appeared to have his right leg rolled on during a Browns drive in the first half. Williams went down and was being tended to by the trainers before walking off the field under his own power.’

‘Well, first of all don’t sell me short. I also played NFL Street 3. It’s a really good game, too. I love playing it. We ran a simple offense at Arizona so we could go out there and play hard and fast. I got to the NFL game and we started running plays with inserts, and with a fullback — I never had a fullback, lead power and I was like ‘what is going on.’ It was as learning curve but it was the same stuff I had at Arizona.’

‘“Overall, I would say he’s been pretty steady,” said head coach Sean McDermott. “That’s a great quality. Mentally he’s pretty steady. I think the guys appreciate that for a rookie to have that quality is important. The mental toughness element if you will that’s so important to manage the highs and lows of the NFL.”’